Trump Says He Planned On Firing “Showboat” Comey Before Recommendation

The President said he had already made up his mind before Attorney General recommendation

In an interview Thursday, President Donald Trump told NBC News that he had already decided to fire former FBI Director James Comey before a recommendation from the Attorney General’s Office was received.

The President said he asked for a memo from Deputy Attorney General Rod Rosenstein to support his decision. However, the White House earlier this week said the President’s decision to fire Comey came after receiving the memo to Attorney General Jeff Sessions, according to a report in CNN.

The news comes on the heels of NBC releasing excerpts of its Thursday interview with the President, which will air tonight at 6:30 p.m. Eastern time.

In the same interview, the President refers to Comey as a “showboat” and “grandstander,” and says the former director put the FBI in “turmoil,” according to reports.

The President also said that he “knows” he is not under investigation for collusion with Russia, and that Comey told the President on three separate occasions that he was not under investigation, according to a report in the Associated Press.

The President on Tuesday fired Comey as the nation’s top crime fighter, claiming the former FBI director had “lost the confidence” of the country.